A LA CARTE : WHITE ASPARAGUS.

Byline: Larry Lipson

Every year around this time - as early as the end of April and through late June - freshly imported white asparagus comes to market.

White asparagus, prized in Europe, actually is unripe. It's asparagus that has remained below the earth's surface and has remained white because it hasn't been exposed to the sun.

The result is a more acidic, bitter vegetable than its green counterpart.

But some of the best chefs in the Los Angeles area enthusiastically use white asparagus in season. Incidentally, it costs them more per pound than lobster.

Here are a few of the local restaurants where white asparagus is being served:

Eclipse Address: 8800 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood.

Phone: [phone].

Cuisine: French-Californian.

Comments: Talented ex-Spago chef Serge Falesitch utilizes rarities like white asparagus and beefalo for owner-host Bernard Erpicum's show-biz clientele.

Picks: Falesitch prepares chilled white asparagus with green mustard vinaigrette and truffle oil ($14) as a refreshing hot weather appetizer.

Four Oaks Address: 2181 N. Beverly Glen Blvd., Bel-Air.

Phone: [phone].

Cuisine: French-Californian.

Comments: Chef Peter Roelant continually creates imaginative and handsome-looking plates for the cognoscenti.

Picks: Special appetizer is a pretty arrangement of cold white asparagus spears dressed with a lime-and-vodka-boosted hollandaise and topped with Sevruga caviar ($17.50). At lunch, try the white asparagus rolled in a carpaccio of salmon flavored with a lime mayonnaise and cut on the bias and fanned over lemon-scented mixed baby lettuces ($12.50).

Knoll's Black Forest Inn Address: 2454 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica.

Phone: [phone].

Cuisine: German.

Comments: Everyone seems to agree that this is the area's No. 1 German restaurant.

Picks: White cream of asparagus soup with riesling wine ($5.50). As an appetizer try the white asparagus and ham salad with sliced apple and herb dressing ($14.50). Entrees are two cold and one hot, the cold being with green herb sauce and chopped egg ($21.50) or with herb mayonnaise and slices of smoked salmon ($23.50). Hot, it's served as a half-pound portion with parsleyed boiled potatoes with hollandaise sauce or drawn butter ($21.50).

Le Dome Address: 8720 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

Phone: [phone].

Cuisine: French-European.

Comments: The entertainment industry power spot on the Sunset Strip defies the in-and-out foibles of the trendoid crowd by being reliable and consistent.

Picks: Chilled white asparagus with vinaigrette ($18), warm with mustard hollandaise ($18), Flemish-style with melted butter and nutmeg and chopped hard-boiled eggs and chopped parsley ($18).

Matterhorn Chef Address: 13726 Oxnard St., Van Nuys.

Phone: [phone].

Cuisine: Multi-European.

Comments: Skillful chef Ueli Huegli brings traditional and modern European specialties, from light to hearty, to the table.

Picks: White asparagus is served warm with hollandaise sauce or drawn butter or cold with vinaigrette ($13.95). Add boiled potato or egg (Polonaise-style) at no extra cost.

Rockenwagner Address: 2435 Main St., Ocean Park.

Phone: [phone].

Cuisine: Californian-International.

Comments: Chef-owner Hans Rockenwagner always produces interesting food, usually with a European accent.

Picks: Entree items are a full pound of white asparagus with new potatoes and vinaigrette or mayonnaise ($26.50), the asparagus with crisp salmon, new potatoes and honey-lavender aioli ($26.50), and the asparagus with sauteed veal and morel sauce ($28.50). Appetizers are a warm gratin of white asparagus with prosciutto ($15.50) or tuna carpaccio with both green and white asparagus ($14.50).

Sonora Cafe Address: 180 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles.

Phone: [phone].

Cuisine: Southwestern.

Comments: Some have said this is the best Southwestern restaurant around L.A., although not a place where you'd expect white asparagus.

Picks: Chilled, poached white asparagus with red and yellow bell pepper coulis and pineseed-crusted goat cheese ($7.95). Also serves grilled asparagus on chipotle linguine with cilantro pesto and scallops ($17.50).